Catching My Breath

I thought I'd do it with you.

I'll warn you now: I might ramble a bitty.  I'm that tired.

One month without my eldest really taxed our little family with regards to chores and time, making me realize that when they are all grown up and move into homes of their own, I'll need to hire a maid.

It's been a long time since I've done so many chores.

The one I liked best was feeding the chickens.  I'm always up with the sun anyways, so it made sense to be the first one out the door, greeting our delightful hens who give us all those wonderfully nutrient-dense eggs.  I most enjoyed playing mother to our three pullets, one we purchased and two outta eleven who survived this spring's hatching.  You see, the hens and rooster are big bad bullies.  I've never seen brokenness so clearly as the way in which chickens socialize: the roosters gets the most food, using pecking or physical threats of mounting; thereafter, the hens fight amongst each other and a "pecking order" is presumed; and at the bottom of the food chain are the pullets and chicks, who, without intervention, will only get what's ground fine enough that the hens can no longer tell the diff between scratch and dirt.  So, I enjoyed standing over the three beauties for several minutes each morning as they filled their gullets and I considered the sunlight dappling against the leaves of the walnut trees, or the smells of manure and drying dew and grass.

After a couple of days, my chicks flocked immediately to my feet when released from the safety of the coop.  They followed me wither I went and waited [impatiently] until I provided that which they wanted.  It was a sweet communion, and I will miss it.

But I'm glad she's finally home.  She had a rough go of it and learned many life lessons as well as fine ballet technique.  I plan to have her write a bit about her experience and share it with you very, very soon.  Although she's not moved from her desire to dance professionally, she sees the world more for what it is, and now knows better her place in it.  Time away well spent, I'd say.

But I'm glad she's finally home.